Ceremony for park renaming 'an honour' for fallen OPP officer's family

Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala Park was christened by family members, police colleagues, friends and local dignitaries on Saturday.

Barrie’s Batteaux Park was officially renamed on Sept. 14 to honour Grzegorz ‘Greg’ Pierzchala, a Barrie community member and an Ontario Provincial Police officer who tragically lost his life in the line of duty.

Pierzchala, 28, was shot and killed Dec. 27, 2022 while responding to a call for a vehicle in a ditch just west of Hagersville.

“I think that it’s very thoughtful,” Pierzchala’s sister, Justyna, told BarrieToday at the event.

“This park holds a lot of meaning to not only me, but my entire family and the community as well. Having the park named after him, I think he would find it an honour,” she added.

Pierzchala often used Batteaux Park, located at 443 Mapleton Ave., to train.

“It’s an important place for us,” added his younger brother Michal. “I used to come here every summer with my brothers, Greg and Chris, and we’d play soccer in the field, just coming here and trying to get better each day.”

In his memory, a new fitness circuit has been installed at the park, inspired by the Ontario Police College fitness test.

Born in Toronto, Pierzchala grew up in Barrie, attending St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School.

A memorial sign was also unveiled on Saturday during the renaming event.

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, members of city council, Ontario Provincial Police and Barrie Police Service representatives, and the Pierzchala family, were on hand for the park renaming.

“This is an incredible day for us to see the legacy of provincial Const. Greg P. continue and just get stronger over time,” OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique told BarrieToday on the sidelines.

“There’s nowhere I go in this province that somebody doesn’t share with me the impact that Greg had on them personally, and today’s a testament to that.”

He had been with the OPP for just more than a year and had been notified he had passed his 10-month probation period just hours before his death.

A 28-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman are charged with first-degree murder in relation to the shooting.